Volunteers help further the mission of The Elephant Sanctuary in a variety of ways – from raising awareness in their communities about the work of the Sanctuary to actually volunteering on site. We hope that you will consider donating your time, energy, and ideas! Read below for details about different volunteer opportunities.

In good physical condition, able to walk and stand for hours at a time

Able to lift up to 20 lbs

Comfortable with working indoors and outdoors in the heat, rain, or cold

Flexible and willing to have fun while working at The Sanctuary.

Why Spend a Day Volunteering at The Sanctuary?
Volunteers provide The Sanctuary with additional help to complete a variety of work projects that may be too numerous or time consuming for regular staff to complete. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work.” You’ll also have the pleasure of spending the day with other like-minded volunteers and TES staff.

No matter what task you are assigned during your Volunteer Day, you can rest assured that your donation of time and energy will make the Sanctuary a better home for our elephants.

Will I Get to See Elephants?
Volunteers will not have any direct contact with the elephants. As we are a true Sanctuary, the elephants are never put on display. If the volunteer work project is happening in viewing proximity of the elephants and the elephants choose to be seen, then so be it. There is no guarantee that volunteers will see elephants.

How Many People Will I Be Working With?
Due to needs and safety concerns, we’ll limit each volunteer day roster to twelve individuals. This group will be directly supervised by TES staff at all times.

Can I Bring Someone With Me?
You can apply for yourself and one other person. Each volunteer 'party' is limited to two in order to allow more people the opportunity to participate.

What Should I Bring?
Accepted volunteers will receiving a 'packing list' via email.

Where Do I Stay?
Volunteers are responsible for their own accommodations. We’ll happily provide recommendations.

No Pets Allowed: We’re all animal lovers here, but this is for the safety of all involved.

The Elephant Sanctuary is a tobacco free facility.

Only Volunteers who have registered and been approved by staff will be allowed on grounds.

Become an EleAmbassador in Your Home Community

Are you interested in helping to provide a safe-haven dedicated to the well being of retired elephants? Are you passionate about sharing things you care about with friends and family? Are you willing to share with others the story of the elephants that call The Sanctuary home?

If the answer to these questions is 'yes' we’d like you to consider becoming an 'EleAmbassador' for The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The Sanctuary will provide you with an on-line orientation, materials, and guidance in how to raise awareness in your community about the needs of elephants in captivity and the crisis facing elephants in the wild. Please contact
todd@elephants.com .